The 22nd year of Jianxing gradually came to an end. As the first day was getting closer, the atmosphere in the palace gradually became cheerful.
From the twenty-eighth, the Minister of General Affairs and Political Affairs no longer played any duties, and the major government offices also tried their best to postpone official duties. On the thirty day, a tall Aoshan lantern was erected in front of the Qianqing Palace, and the palace eunuchs and eunuchs met each other. Hello, everyone is wearing new clothes, and there are beaming smiles everywhere.
Today is New Year's Eve, Chu Jinyao changed into a bright red makeup and flower slanted jacket, with a woven gold horse face skirt underneath, and a full set of ruby and gold headpieces for her hair accessories. It is rare for Chu Jinyao to let the palace servants put heavy makeup on her. She has dark hair and snow skin, red lips and white teeth, and the color collision is very obvious. After the grand makeup is applied, the person in the bronze mirror has dark eyebrows and delicate lips. The contrast between the black hair and red lips and the porcelain white as jade skin is more and more obvious. Chu Jinyao's long hair was all coiled up and stacked high behind his head. It was really like a cloud of hair on the temples, with golden and jade colors flowing from time to time. On weekdays, Chu Jinyao wore light makeup in order not to overwhelm guests, except on the day of the wedding. However, today is a big scene. All the concubines and concubines in the harem will be wearing heavy makeup. If they are suppressed by the scene, it will not be good. Chu Jinyao couldn't lose face to the East Palace, so she also let the palace servants dress up.
After the last hairpin was inserted, the maids who combed their hair sighed sincerely, "Prince Concubine looks so beautiful today."
"What's so beautiful today?" Kikyo speaks fast, and loves to take advantage of her words. She holds a bronze mirror and looks at the bun from behind to let Chu Jinyao look at the back of her head, "Our crown princess is the best looking every day. Yes, Crown Princess, don't you think so?"
Chu Jinyao was amused, and Linglong stood aside. Hearing this, he came over and patted Kikyo lightly: "You only know how to talk, and you deliberately want to please the Crown Princess."
"Originally, the slaves are just telling the truth. Crown Princess, you have to judge the slaves!"
"It's all good." Chu Jinyao stopped them with a smile, "You have worked hard for a year, and you will be rewarded for a while."
The palace maids in the room became more and more happy, and they all wished Chu Jinyao a blessing. Chu Jinyao helped her bun, stood up and said, "Let's go, it's time to say goodbye to the Empress, it would be too rude to be late."
The Kunning Palace was also decorated with lanterns and colorful lights. Chu Jinyao led the people to salute Xiao Qi in an upright manner: "Congratulations to the empress, the empress, all the best."
Queen Qi is also dressed up today, her brows are sharp and beautiful. After Xiao Qi saw Chu Jinyao, his eyes narrowed, and after squinting his eyes, he looked up and down, and then slowly called Chu Jinyao to get up: "Prince Concubine, get up."
At this time, Queen Qi had finished seeing the concubines who came to ask An kowtow, and moved to the more homely apse. Chu Jinyao is a daughter-in-law, and like the princess and others, she is a member of the royal family. The invitation to An Shi will naturally be carried out in the apse just like her family. The other concubines are all concubines, and their identities are not the same. Naturally, the two groups of people are not in the same place.
Now in Empress Xiao Qi's own inner hall, all that can be left are the celebrities around Empress Xiao Qi, because today is New Year's Eve, and the two high-ranking concubines, Concubine Li and Concubine Shu, are also there. When Chu Jinyao greeted Xiao Qi, everyone except Xiao Qi stood up to avoid the ceremony. After Chu Jinyao was called, these concubines stepped forward to salute Chu Jinyao: "Prince Concubine."
Chu Jinyao closed her eyes and returned a half salute. According to the etiquette, Chu Jinyao was a first-rank palace family member, and was more honorable than the concubines in the harem. But these are the emperor's women after all, barely her concubine, and Chu Jinyao wouldn't take these concubines seriously.
After she sat down according to her superiority again, Concubine Shu looked at Chu Jinyao and said with a smile, "Prince Concubine was originally an incomparable beauty. After dressing up today, her appearance became even more outstanding."
Queen Qi and Concubine Li, who prided themselves on their beauty, felt uncomfortable when they heard this. The more beautiful a woman is, the more taboo it is that someone is more beautiful than her. It's not necessarily a good thing to be praised for her appearance in such a crowded setting. Chu Jinyao glanced at Concubine Shu and said with a smile: "Concubine Shu is also a shame for me. I just put on a little powder, and I use my frowns in the east, which is comparable to the empress. The empress is precious as the mother of the country, and she is always favored. Today is still the appearance of the 28th girl, this is the extremely rich and precious destiny."
When the topic was brought up to Xiao Qihou, the people in the room naturally agreed. Xiao Qihou smiled comfortably and ignored Concubine Shu's words.
Concubine Shu couldn't make a single blow, so she glanced at Chu Jinyao, pursed her lips and smiled, and stopped chasing. It is a fact that Chu Jinyao is younger and more beautiful than Empress Xiao Qi, and the person she married is still the Crown Prince of the East Palace. Even if Chu Jinyao can coax Empress Xiao Qi once, what about ten or twenty times? Concubine Shu is not in a hurry, she can slowly, bit by bit, put a nail in Xiao Qi's heart, she doesn't believe that Xiao Qi can really continue to deceive herself.
Everyone complimented the queen in different ways, Chu Jinyao said this, and then refused to say it again. Too much talk is too wrong, not to mention that she is a crown princess, it is not good to be too cold and flattering to the queen, this degree must be handled more and more carefully.
Taking advantage of everyone's jokes, Chu Jinyao's eyes silently swept across the people present. Concubine Shu sat on the side opposite the Empress, her demeanor was gentle and dignified, she spoke softly and slowly, and looked like a virtuous person. However, such a seemingly friendly concubine has repeatedly provoked the relationship between Chu Jinyao and the queen. And Concubine Shu's focus was Chu Jinyao's most taboo appearance.
The relationship between Chu Jinyao and Queen Qi was complicated. Chu Jinyao couldn't stand out in front of Queen Qi, but for the sake of Donggong's dignity, she couldn't give in too much. Chu Jinyao tried her best to maintain this fragile balance, and Concubine Shu had to push her from time to time. In other respects, Chu Jinyao could still deliberately hide her clumsiness, but Concubine Shu chose her appearance and age to step on, and she was ruthless and ruthless, and hit the spot.
Women's jealousy is very scary, and Xiao Qi's is especially scary. When Concubine Shu did this, was she targeting the queen or the prince
Chu Jinyao thought about it and shuddered. Concubine Shu is the most qualified concubine in the palace, and her status can be seen from her title "Shu". What's more, Concubine Shu is also the adoptive mother of the second prince.
The second prince was the son of a palace servant. After his biological mother died of illness, he was taken to Concubine Shu's palace to raise him. As for who the second prince's biological mother was, why she died, and why she died, no one has mentioned it for a long time.
The second prince needs a famous and powerful adoptive mother, and Concubine Shu also needs a son to rely on. This is a win-win situation.
The most important thing is that the second prince is only two years younger than Qin Yi, and he seems to have reached the age of marriage. Before getting married, you must be crowned king, and once you have a title, you should be a vassal.
Thinking of this, Chu Jinyao sighed silently. The queen is the enemy of all the women in the harem, and the prince is probably the enemy of all princes. Not only did Xiao Qi have thoughts, but even Concubine Shu was unwilling to be lonely.
Chu Jinyao's mind changed a lot, and her demeanor was more cautious. She doesn't speak most of the time, just keeps smiling and nods lightly when someone looks at her. For this reason, Chu Jinyao was also tense throughout the whole process. Today is still New Year's Eve. On this day in previous years, whether it was the Marquis of Changxing or the Su family, they would let go of what they were doing at this time, and the family would get together to do things at home. However, now, the furnishings around Chu Jinyao are of many grades, and the people she has to face are also many brighter, but Chu Jinyao doesn't feel that she is going to celebrate the New Year at all.
Several princesses also arrived one after another, and the ladies of the harem were really gathered together. The chatter and laughter of the palace continued, and the eunuch's singing suddenly came from outside: "The emperor is here. His Royal Highness is here, the second prince and the third prince are here."
The female family members in the room were all shocked: "Is the emperor here?"
In the early morning, regardless of the cold and heat, the wind and frost did not change, and finally it was able to stop for three days on the first day. The emperor was forced to go to court for more than 20 years. He really didn't get a good night's sleep. Today, he finally looked forward to a brief suspension of court. It was really sad and touching. Today is the last morning of the 22nd year of Jianxing. As soon as the emperor was happy, he remembered that today was a family reunion day among the people, and he also wanted to enjoy the happiness of his family. He heard from the eunuchs that all the concubines, princesses and crown princes were here with the empress, and the emperor did not care about anything, and immediately came over with his three sons.
Hearing that the emperor was coming, along with the prince and the two princes, the young concubines were both happy and flustered. The joy is that it is rare to see the emperor during the Chinese New Year. They are not the wife of the emperor, but the emperor is their only husband. Who doesn't want to celebrate the New Year with their husband-in-law. The panic is... How can the emperor be so reckless, he just came to Kunning Palace, why did he bring the three princes with him? Especially the crown prince and the second prince, these two people are not too young, even if there is a concubine name between the concubine and the prince, they should avoid one or two.
However, Empress Qi did not have this taboo. She was overjoyed to welcome the emperor outside the palace and personally brought the emperor in. After the young queen concubine called Long Live, she lowered her head and hid in the compartment behind, while Concubine Shu and the Empress did not have to avoid them.
After Chu Jinyao followed the crowd to salute the emperor, she then greeted Qin Yi lightly: "Your Highness."
It was obviously still the same environment, but seeing Qin Yi immediately made people feel at ease.
Qin Yi was wearing the royal attire of the prince, which was stacked up and down, showing more majesty. Qin Yi had seen Chu Jinyao long ago, but this was Kunning Palace, and there were eyeliners everywhere. Qin Yi didn't want to get too close to Chu Jinyao, so he nodded coldly and motioned for Chu Jinyao to come to him. .
Chu Jinyao naturally followed Qin Yi's side. Concubine Shu's attention was originally on the emperor, but when he saw this scene, he couldn't help but feel a bit sour and complicated: "The prince and the prince's newly married Yan'er, the husband and wife sing along with them, is really enviable. ."
The second and third princes also stepped forward to salute Chu Jinyao at this time: "Sister-in-law."
Chu Jinyao returned to the Wanfu ceremony. The emperor watched his sons and daughters greet each other, and a feeling of tenderness surged in his heart after a long time: "It's good to be so lively and lively, let the second and third also get married quickly, there are still too few people in the palace. already."
The emperor himself was unaware of these words, and everyone else showed some subtle expressions. Concubine Shu, Concubine Li and other concubines without heirs felt that the emperor was dissatisfied with their failure to give birth to an emperor. Queen Qi was poked in her heart, and her face was not good-looking. Of course, several princes who were qualified to compete for the throne, of course. It was silent.
Chu Jinyao thought to himself, you already have so many concubines in your harem, I am afraid that the emperor can't remember how many women he has.
The atmosphere froze for a while, and soon, the smart people in the palace laughed and opened the scene.
"Your Majesty." Concubine Shu smiled softly, "If you want to have more children in the harem, it's not easy. The princess has already passed the door, and she has a deep relationship with the prince. Wouldn't the East Palace be able to hire a baby soon?"
Chu Jinyao was at a loss for words, everyone was watching this matter, everyone was urging her to get pregnant quickly, it was best to get a man in one fell swoop. But is this kind of thing out of her control? Chu Jinyao was under great pressure, but she couldn't say anything.
Qin Yi stood by Chu Jinyao's side. Hearing this, he glanced at Concubine Shu lightly and said, "The children are all fates, so there is no need to rush this matter. Besides, Gu and the Crown Princess are both young, and Concubine Shu is actually Even more anxious than we are to add people to the East Palace."
The prince and the emperor have always had a very delicate relationship. If the prince is shrewd in politics and has an eldest son early, this may not be a good thing.
Qin Yi's words pinpointed Concubine Shu's thoughts. Although he did not say it explicitly, he also warned Concubine Shu in an extremely subtle and dangerous way. Concubine Shu was so choked that her face turned pale, and she didn't dare to say any more.
Chu Jinyao breathed a sigh of relief. I don't know if it was her illusion. With Qin Yi by her side, even if the female family members in the room had bad intentions, they would not dare to talk about Chu Jinyao again. Just standing here, Qin Yi is more effective than the lion in the town house.
Concubine Shu was embarrassed to answer. The emperor didn't seem to notice the shadow of the sword, light and sword. He was still excitedly talking about the second prince: "The second is eighteen, and it is time to marry a concubine."
After Xiao Qi's smile faded, he replied, "Yes, the concubine will show up."
Concubine Shu's attention was immediately drawn away by the word "marry a concubine". She was the adoptive mother of the second prince, and of course she was concerned about the future candidates for the second prince. The emperor is a hands-off shopkeeper. After he threw the matter to Xiao Qi, he didn't care. After Xiao Qi, she still smiled beautifully and happily talked to the emperor, but she had already figured it out in her heart. As for Concubine Shu, of course, she also carefully inquired about the holy will. When Li Fei, who had no children and was hiding behind the screen, heard this, she rolled her eyes angrily.
She couldn't help touching her stomach. She was also young, not a few years older than the crown princess. When will she have her own prince
The emperor and his concubines enjoyed the happiness of the family, Qin Yi was not interested in listening to it, and after a while, he took Chu Jinyao to retire. Because the emperor visited Kunning Palace in person, the whole harem became a sensation, and the concubines and concubines became more and more concerned about dressing up. This liveliness continued until the New Year's Eve banquet in the evening.
Today is a family banquet. In addition to the harem concubine, the prince and the princess, the emperor also specially summoned several close ministers to the palace, and the monarch and his ministers had fun together. Although they were also left in the palace on New Year's Eve, several adults were all red-faced, and it was obviously very favored to be able to attend the emperor's family banquet.
After Xiao Qi took many concubines and concubines, they chatted, laughed and feasted while watching the stage outside through the bead curtain. On such occasions, Chu Jinyao still followed the etiquette and acted as if she wanted to stand beside Xiao Qi and serve her mother-in-law for dinner. Xiao Qi naturally assumed a motherly posture in front of others, so she quickly stopped Chu Jinyao and encouraged her casually. After Chu Jinyao said a few words, Chu Jinyao was seated.
Only then did Chu Jinyao sit down, but whenever she was in front of people, she would never let anyone talk to them. Xiao Qi can be unkind, but Chu Jinyao must give herself a reputation for filial piety. After returning from Xiao Qi, Chu Jinyao has the heart to watch the stage outside the bead curtain.
On the stage, people from the Jiaofang Division sang and danced, because the emperor liked new folk gadgets, and there were juggling during the banquet. Separated by a bead curtain, the concubine can hear the emperor's words without losing the dignity of the harem. At this kind of banquet, Chu Jinyao didn't plan to eat, she picked up a small dish and moved a few chopsticks, even if she had eaten it. Ciqing Palace prepared another dish, what I really want to eat, let's talk about it when we get back to our own place.
The surrounding concubines also look like this, and they eat less than cats. Just as Chu Jinyao was about to put down his chopsticks, he heard a courtier outside the bead curtain sing praises of virtue. In order to please the emperor, he even brought Xiao Qi with him. Empress Xian", dare to say anything.
Chu Jinyao slandered silently, and said nothing else, and it was also because they dared to tout Xiao Qi's "virtuousness", but in front of Qin Yi and her crown princess. However, this is how things are in the world. Although the reason behind Xiao Qi's rise to the top was very contemptible, there are far more people who want to please Queen Qi than those who disdain her.
The female relatives inside naturally heard the praises from outside, and many concubines responded with a smile: "Isn't it true, the Queen's concubine is kind to the six palaces, and everything she says and does is worthy of the world's women. It is true that the queen's concubine leads the six palaces. It's my blessing."
Being complimented on such an occasion makes everyone happy, not to mention that Xiao Qi likes extravagance, so it is best to line up. After hearing these words, Xiao Qi just smiled softly and did not talk to her, but the smug look on her face could not deceive anyone.
Chu Jinyao smiled gracefully without showing any strangeness. The others laughed, and the second princess and the third prince were also honored. Just when Xiao Qi's family was complacent, the voices outside changed and suddenly said something: "The empress is fine with everything, but the harem's son is a pity. In the past ten years, there has been no new addition to the harem. It's really a pity for the Princess Longzi."
The face of Queen Qi changed slightly, and the concubines who were originally happy also seemed to have been stepped on and suddenly lost their voices.
Queen Qi said unhappily: "Bengong has devoted himself to the management of the harem for His Majesty these years, and has done everything by himself. The concubine of the harem is infertile. How can you blame Bengong?"
"I don't dare." The person talking outside knelt down, even so, he did not give up, "It's just that the emperor's heir is not abundant, it is not a sign of great prosperity. The empress is in charge of the six palaces, and the harem should be filled for her majesty. Ze, it's better to spread branches and leaves for the royal family as soon as possible."
In front of everyone, Xiao Qi didn't want to turn his face, so he had to say with a sullen face: "Of course, this palace is the queen of the palace, and naturally understands this truth."
Chu Jinyao suddenly had a hunch, she quietly turned her gaze away, and looked at Qin Yi through the gently swaying bead curtain. Qin Yi was sitting in the seat, watching the pattern of the wine bottle intently, and seemed not to pay attention to what was said outside.
Not long after Xiao Qi's voice fell behind, a person in the hall knelt down and bowed down to the emperor on the throne: "Congratulations to the sage!"
The emperor wondered: "Why do you like it?"
"Fang Caichen was in the side hall, and just saw an empress fainted. For the sake of empress's health, I dared to check the pulse, and found that the empress turned out to be a happy pulse!"
Qin Yi slightly raised his lips and smiled, and Chu Jinyao also felt something, and turned to look at Xiao Qi.
After Xiao Qi heard this, his face darkened immediately. What does it mean? Why did she report that the concubine was pregnant after she had set her words first? Does this imply that her queen is jealous and virtuous!